900 tonne of illegal coal found in Gomia, Jharkhand

Bokaro: Police found more than 900 tonne of illegal coal during a raid at Tirla under Mahuataad police station of Gomia on Saturday.

Earlier on Friday, police had seized five trucks carrying illegal coal near Purulia (West Bengal) border under Chandankyari police station. The truck drivers were sent to jail.

SP Y S Ramesh confirmed the raid. Investigation is on to identify the persons involved in the illegal trade. The coal was stocked after being illegally dug by the coal thieves in the area. The dug coal was then ferried on bicycle and motorbike to other parts. A case has been lodged in this connection with Mahuataad police station.

There seems to be an organized racket involved in this illegal coal trade at Tirla, police said. Police have launched a drive against illegal mining and transportation of coal in the Maoist dominated area.

Maoists collect a huge amount of levy from the illegal coal business. Police is targeting the illegal coal trade to hit the revenue generation points of the Maoists in the area.